Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

As he absorbed them, a significant surge in magical energy flooded through his body, even channeling some benefits to Mash through their connection.

However, her complexion grew even paler.

Shirou walked over to her, a wry smile on his face. "What's wrong? Did I manage to gross you out?"

"It's not that, it's just...I don't know," Mash hesitated, searching for the right words.

She wanted to express her discomfort, and he sensed it.

"You don't have to hold back around me. If something's bothering you, just say it. If you're too guarded, it'll actually make me uncomfortable. Don't worry, I have a thick skin. I won't take it personally."

"In that case, honestly, compared to those octopus monsters, you playing around with mud seems more villainous," she finally admitted.

"And why's that?"

"Because it's just... really kind of disgusting."

A black hand flew out from Shirou's midsection and pinched her right cheek.

Mash pulled a (>﹏<) face.

"I'm not upset," he clarified, nodding toward the black hand, "but it seems to be."

"Ouch! It hurts, it hurts..." she winced, her eyes watering.

Shirou chuckled before scanning the area with a more serious expression.

The black mud had consumed nine octopuses, but what he could sense was that Caster hadn't been consumed!

In other words, Caster had successfully escaped at the last moment!

And that displeased him.

He'd come to Vâlcea for two reasons: first, something strange had happened here; and second, he suspected it was related to the connection point Mash had mentioned.

He'd managed to lure Caster out and eliminate the nine octopuses the enemy had bred in the area.

But he hadn't found any leads on the connection point.

On the upside, devouring the nine octopuses that Caster had bred had given a significant boost to Shirou's mana pool.

Even the progress of his [Mortal Awakening] had jumped to 53.7%.

The black mud didn't have consciousness of its own, but it did carry Shirou's thought patterns—almost like another side of him.

And it was a slightly pettier side at that.

It took out its annoyance on Mash's cheek for a moment before finally retracting back into his body.

"Ouch... that hurt," Mash complained, rubbing her cheek.

Shirou glanced at her. "This isn't the time to worry about your face, Master."

"Then what time is it?"

Shirou grabbed her collar and announced, "Time for a sweep."

He flew around the city a few more times, yet there was still no sign of Caster.

The enemy was annoyingly good at hiding. Wasted talent for someone who wasn't an Assassin.

Frustrated, he had no choice but to put his search on hold and head back to the base.

...

Shirou returned to the camp, finding Spartacus in the midst of imparting life lessons to a group of homunculi. Upon Shirou's arrival, Spartacus dismissed them and approached him.

"Assassin, you're back from the city, I see."

Shirou nodded.

"I sensed a surge of mana from the city earlier. You were there, fighting something, I presume?" Spartacus asked, his brow furrowed.

"It was Red Caster," Shirou confirmed, nodding as he recounted the details of his recent encounter. There was no need to keep secrets from Spartacus.

Spartacus's brow furrowed even deeper. "Exploiting the townspeople as fodder to breed monsters... such despicable acts!" His eyes blazed with outrage.

But unlike before—when he would have slipped into frenzied rant about 'liberation' and 'oppression'—the Spartacus standing before Shirou now merely clenched his fists, embodying a controlled form of fury. His regained rationality made him a far more stable, dignified, and ultimately reliable ally than his previous, more volatile self.

Spartacus looked at him, his expression earnest. "In matters like these, Assassin, don't hesitate to call upon my strength. This is precisely why I exist as a Heroic Spirit!"

Shirou nodded in acknowledgment.

Off to the side, Mash sat watching. Sensing she might be thirsty, one of the homunculi handed her a cup of water.

"Thank you," she said, accepting the cup.

Grinning ear to ear, the homunculus scurried back to its group, shouting, "I got a 'thank you'! I got a 'thank you'!"

Mash looked puzzled. Was a simple 'thank you' really such a big deal?

Seeing the ecstatic homunculus, Shirou turned back to Spartacus. "What life lessons were you imparting this time?"

"I simply told them that they are now free, that they have risen, that they are... no longer slaves."

Shirou nodded, then turned thoughtful. "It's a shame, really. Many homunculi in the Castle chose not to join us."

"Freedom is only deserved to those unwilling to remain enslaved."

Shirou stared at him, taken aback.

"Is something wrong, Assassin?" Spartacus touched his face, puzzled. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No," Shirou shook his head, "I'm just surprised to hear such words from Spartacus."

Spartacus smiled. "It seems the irrational me has done a lot of disgraceful things."

"That's not disgraceful," he replied, smiling back.

A fully rational Spartacus differed greatly from one driven purely by berserker fury. Fundamentally, a Berserker Spartacus was an idealist lost in his dreams, while a rational Spartacus was a rebel leader who dreamt big but also kept his feet on the ground.

The core remained the same, but the former was more idealistic, the latter more grounded.

Meanwhile, Mash was fiddling with the bracelet on her right wrist, attempting to establish contact with Chaldea.

Still, no response.

She sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly.

Just then, A-11072 hurriedly ran over.

"What's wrong, A-11072?" Spartacus asked.

"It's bad, Spartacus!" A-11072 blurted, clearly anxious. "A master is tailing us! Some of our comrades are holding her back as we speak!"

Hearing this, the homunculi present broke into a frenzy.

"This is bad!"

"A master is after us!"

"What do we do now?"

The homunculi were in full-blown panic mode. Their instinctual fear of the masters who had created them still lingered.

Spartacus' voice cut through the chaos, "Lead the way!"

"I'll go with you," Shirou nodded.

Guided by A-11072, they made their way to the makeshift surveillance outpost that the homunculi had established on a mountain path. The camp was nestled against the mountain's flank, and this lookout post was specifically designed to monitor any people from the Yggdmillennia clan. If anyone was spotted, an alert would go out, prompting everyone to prepare for a quick escape.

As they advanced, the crowd naturally parted for Spartacus. With each stride of his towering, three-meter frame, the ground shook, and the soft thuds of his footsteps left deep impressions in the earth.

Shirou squinted, scanning the horizon. He knew that if Servants of the Yggdmillennia clan showed up, a huge battle was inevitable.

In this Holy Grail War, Shirou feared no one. Not even the likes of Karna.

In a one-on-one battle, he was confident he could stand toe-to-toe with Karna, for he had ascended to the same tier as a Heroic Spirit.

However, the scales would tip against him if Karna were to join forces with Arjuna and Vlad. Yet, that was a concern for another time.

Because right now—

He had Spartacus on his side.

A hero from his childhood.

...

Both Spartacus and Shirou had prepared for battle against the Yggdmillennia clan.

Shirou, in particular, had already considered the worst-case scenario in which Karna, Arjuna, and Vlad might be the ones pursuing them.

But they weren't the only ones mentally prepared for battle; the homunculi were prepared as well. Freedom had given them a taste of something they never wanted to lose. Should it come to blows, they were committed to a fight to the death—to secure their future and their newfound liberty.

However, the tension dissolved the moment they saw who had arrived. Even the usually calm Shirou couldn't help but let out a stifled chuckle.

Because the scene before them was downright absurd.

The one who had shown up was none other than the Ruler of this Holy Grail War, Jeanne d'Arc! And at that moment, she found herself encircled by three homunculi, armed to the teeth—one with a sword, another with a hammer, and the last with an axe—leaving her looking absolutely flabbergasted.

"Um, I'm not some spy from the Black Faction. I'm Ruler. Can you guys let me go now?" Jeanne implored the homunculi surrounding her.

"No way! How do we know you haven't already sided with our old masters? You're probably sent by them to capture us!" a homunculus shot back.

"Sided with your masters?" Jeanne's face was a mask of disbelief. "Do I look that untrustworthy? Look me in the eyes—right in the eyes. Don't they tell you that I'm sincere and kind?"

One of the homunculi met her gaze and said flatly, "No, not really."

Jeanne: "…"

Sighing, she tried again. "Fine, can you at least let me go? I'll take a different route, okay?"

"No," the homunculus shook his head.

"And why not?"

"Because you'd definitely go back and rat us out!"

"Why would you think that?" she asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"Because you have the look of someone who'd totally snitch." 

Jeanne: "…"

I, I...

She looked completely disheartened.

...

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